The Frostig Center is proud to host a screening of the new documentary Intelligent Lives, which is shattering stereotypes about what it means to be “intelligent” and opening doors to more inclusive education and employment.

The screening will be held at The Frostig Center on Friday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome and admission is free.

Intelligent Lives stars three young adults with intellectual disabilities who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. Academy Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional story of his son Jesse, as the film unpacks the shameful and ongoing track record of intelligence testing in the U.S.

Following the screening, Executive Producer Amy Brenneman will lead a discussion of the film and the issues it raises.

“People with intellectual disabilities are the most segregated of all Americans,” said Dan Habib, the producer, director and cinematographer of Intelligent Lives. “Only 17 percent of students with intellectual disabilities are included in regular education. Just 40 percent will graduate from high school. And of the 6.5 million Americans with intellectual disability, barely 15 percent are employed.”

Advance registration is required due to limited seating. Please go to www.frostigschool.org to reserve your seat and learn more.

The Frostig Center, located at 971 N. Altadena Drive, is a non-profit organization that strives to improve the lives of children with learning differences through research, professional development for teachers, and Frostig School. Frostig also provides services to young adults with learning differences who are transitioning to college and work. For additional information about The Frostig Center, call (626) 791-1255 or visit our website at www.frostig.org.

This September, Harvard Law School commemorated 65 years since women first graduated from Harvard Law School. Since that historic milestone, the number of women at HLS has grown dramatically from 13 women in the Class of 1953 to women making up nearly 50 percent of the incoming class in 2018.

This past weekend, on Sept. 14-15, hundreds of Harvard Law alumnae gathered on campus for Celebration 65 to commemorate this anniversary and celebrate HLS alumnae’s contributions to the legal profession and society.

In the “Countless Stories” video series, alumni from across the generations share their HLS experience and explain the difference their legal education has made in their lives.

In this segment, Frederica Brenneman ’53 shares her Harvard Law experience as a member of the first HLS class to admit women. In 1967 Frederica Brenneman was working as a law clerk to the Connecticut legislature’s judiciary committee when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles were entitled to constitutional due process. In the wake of In Re Gault, the state’s juvenile court doubled in size and Brenneman was appointed, the second woman on the bench in Connecticut history. She became judge in Superior Court when the state trial courts merged in 1978. In her long career Brenneman has specialized in abuse and neglect cases, pushed for stronger legal protections for children, shaped clear statewide protocols and case law, trained innumerable judges, and educated caseworkers, attorneys, parents, and the public on court procedures. Read more about Brenneman’s career in public service and her role as a consulting judge in the T.V. series “Judging Amy,” starring her daughter Amy Brenneman, in Harvard Law Bulletin’s Summer 2000 article “Brennemans on the Bench.”

Twenty-five years ago, audiences were captivated by a most arresting and original spin on a TV staple — the police drama. Steven Bochco, who was already well-known as one of television’s chief innovators and reinventors thanks to high-quality series like “Paris,” “L.A. Law” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.”, co-created “NYPD Blue.” This was his second reinvention of the genre (he was also responsible for “Hill Street Blues”), but in teaming up with David Milch the envelope was pushed even farther.

Not only would “NYPD Blue” pioneer a grittier, more frenetic storytelling style with the use of regularly jerky and very verite handheld camera, it would challenge long-established broadcast network limits regarding violence, nudity and four-letter words. Of course, the road for such a disruptive new approach would not be an easy one, with high drama playing out both among the opposition to the game-changing series and within its own ranks before it finally debuted on ABC on Sept. 21, 1993.

Amy Brenneman: I had worked out in LA a little bit, but I was back in New York playing “St. Joan” at Yale Rep. And my agents in LA were like, “You’re insane — you can’t do a play! It’s pilot season.” And I was like “But it’s St. Joan! I have to play St. Joan! [Casting director] Alexa Fogel, who had been an early champion of mine, said “There’s this one, and if you can come in…” I was actually brought in to play Sherry Stringfield’s part, and I totally loused up the lines — and didn’t really care, because I just was sort of sassy that way, And I famously turned to David Milch, completely joking, and said, “You know, if I’m gonna play this, really, you’re gonna have to change these lines. I can’t get them.” I meant it as a total joke, and of course they were like, “That’s our girl: she’s the one that should kill people in the pilot.”